In a recent survey conducted by Kantar TNS just 17% of UK consumers of coffee on the go said they would be more inclined to recycle their cups if charged 5p.

By contrast 62% of consumers would recycle more if more on the go recycling bins were available. A further 19% would be prepared to take the cup home if their Local Authority enabled them to place the cup in their domestic recycling.

According to the FPA and PCCRG, the research demonstrates that a 5p charge will have very limited success in delivering more recycling and that the public is far more motivated to recycle by clearly marked bins in public places.

Those who support a charge on cups do so expecting it will be used to create more facilities for recycling. Only 6% would expect the funds created to go to Government while only 5% would expect it to be retained by retailers.

A charge on cups alone will not lead to more cups being recycled and the small support among the public for a charge is based on the assumption all the money raised will be used for recycling.

The FPA and PCRRG are calling on the government to produce a recycling strategy for all packaging used on the go, rather than target individual packaging types such as cups and plastic bottles. The trade bodies are urging government to build the infrastructure needed so that the public can recycle as much on the go as they do in their own homes.

This can be achieved by modifying the funding mechanism of the UK’s producer responsibility system and will enable recycling to mirror the consumption patterns of today’s consumers where such a large proportion of their food and drink consumption takes place away from their homes.

For more information please contact:

For the FPA: Executive Director Martin Kersh on email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call mobile 0711 142789

For the PCRRG: Chairman Neil Whittall on email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call mobile 07774 618310